The present invention relates to inflatable products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an inflatable device for packaging that has been specially provisioned to provide for rapid and simplified deployment.
The need for protecting products from damage during distribution has lead to the development of various shock absorbing packaging materials. These materials are intended to "float" a product within a shipping container and provide controlled deceleration to a packaged item during impact. Because of their low density, the transportation and storage cost of ready to use cushioning materials is significant. By utilizing "foam in place" or inflatable cushioning, the user may greatly reduce such costs.
The use of foamed polymer cushioning materials has many disadvantages. In order to use these "foam in place" materials a user must undertake the storage and mixing reactive chemicals that are hazardous in nature. Further to these problems, foamed cushioning materials are not readily recyclable or efficiently disposable by the recipient. Inflatable cushioning systems may offer solutions to many of these problems.
Inflatable cushioning systems use inert polymer films and do not require the handling of hazardous materials by the user. The various polymer films used in inflatable cushioning systems do not take up as much landfill space since the material is easily compacted after use by deflating the inflatable chambers, such as by cutting open the chambers. Inflatable cushioning systems may even require less storage space than the various components required for the use of foamed cushioning materials.
Example of inflatable cushioning systems and methods can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,254,074 and 5,339,602. In these devices, thermoplastic films are formed into a bag into which air is inserted. This inserted and entrapped air increases the volume of the bag so that the bag can fill the void between any fragile items and the carton or package in which the fragile item is being shipped. Typically, the bag will not be filled to its maximum capacity with air. Accordingly, the bag may be compressed between the packaging carton and the fragile item so as to block and brace the item within the container and better protect the item from breakage. While effective in achieving this end, the bag may provide only limited protection from deceleration forces that can damage the packaged item.
A further example of an inflatable cushioning system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,904 to Pharco. While providing improved deceleration characteristics that protect the item from shock, the cushioning system must be properly sized to the item to be packaged.
Presently available inflatable cushioning systems utilize a single or limited number of air receiving chambers. The systems will fail to provide any protection should an air leak occur. Further, present inflatable cushioning systems fail to provide means for rapid multiple deployment through automated or semi-automated processes.